Synthesis, Photophysics, and Solvatochromic Studies of an Aggregated-Induced-Emission Luminogen Useful in Bioimaging
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Espinar Barranco, Laura; Meazza, Marta; Linares Pérez, Azahara; Ríos, Ramón; Paredes Martínez, José Manuel; Crovetto González, LuisEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Aggregated enhanced emission Photophysics Bioimaging
Date
2019-11-12Referencia bibliográfica
Espinar-Barranco, L., Meazza, M., Linares-Perez, A., Rios, R., Paredes, J. M., & Crovetto, L. (2019). Synthesis, Photophysics, and Solvatochromic Studies of an Aggregated-Induced-Emission Luminogen Useful in Bioimaging. Sensors, 19(22), 4932.
Sponsorship
This research was funded by grants CTQ2017-85658-R and CTQ2014-55474-C2-2-R (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness).Abstract
Biological samples are a complex and heterogeneous matrix where different macromolecules
with different physicochemical parameters cohabit in reduced spaces. The introduction of fluorophores
into these samples, such as in the interior of cells, can produce changes in the fluorescence emission
properties of these dyes, caused by the specific physicochemical properties of cells. This effect can
be especially intense with solvatofluorochromic dyes, where changes in the polarity environment
surrounding the dye can drastically change the fluorescence emission. In this article, we studied
the photophysical behavior of a new dye and confirmed the aggregation-induced emission (AIE)
phenomenon with different approaches, such as by using different solvent proportions, increasing
the viscosity, forming micelles, and adding bovine serum albumin (BSA), through analysis of the
absorption and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence. Our results show the preferences
of the dye for nonpolar media, exhibiting AIE under specific conditions through immobilization.
Additionally, this approach offers the possibility of easily determining the critical micelle concentration
(CMC). Finally, we studied the rate of spontaneous incorporation of the dye into cells by fluorescence
lifetime imaging and observed the intracellular pattern produced by the AIE. Interestingly, different
intracellular compartments present strong differences in fluorescence intensity and fluorescence
lifetime. We used this difference to isolate different intracellular regions to selectively study these
regions. Interestingly, the fluorescence lifetime shows a strong difference in different intracellular
compartments, facilitating selective isolation for a detailed study of specific organelles.